


Cosmic Love

by Lily_rizzy



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Angst, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, M/M, Reveal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-22
Updated: 2015-07-24
Packaged: 2018-04-10 16:15:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4398719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lily_rizzy/pseuds/Lily_rizzy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The reveal of the affair & five times Aaron wished he hadn't said 'I love you,' and one time was glad he did.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My first fic writing in this fandom, so go easy on me! :-) Comments and constructive criticism are always amazing and gratefully received.

In the end, it wasn’t dramatic. Aaron had always believed that it would take something really dramatic for his affair with Robert to be revealed. In his more ridiculous fantasies, he imagined something truly terrible happening to one of them, making Robert realise what he had in Aaron, pack his bags and leave Chrissie for good. In his more naïve fantasies, there was nothing except Robert realising how much he loved Aaron and how happy they could be together.

In the end it was carelessness.

On their last secret escape to a ridiculously expensive hotel Robert had booked, Aaron had convinced him to let him take a photo of the two of them together.

“Really Aaron? What are you, a 14 year old girl?” Aaron had pulled of his best embarrassed face, looking down and then up at Robert through his lashes. Roberts resolve had begun to crumble already.

“Just something for when I can’t see you that much, you know?” he had mumbled.

And with that, Robert had given in. The photo taken had been exactly what Aaron had wanted – couple looking. Aaron had his face buried in Roberts’s neck, while Robert himself had pulled an over enthusiastic grin. It was so perfect in fact, that Robert had asked Aaron to send it to his own phone.

“Who’s the 14 year old girl now, hm?” he had teased, before doing exactly as Robert had asked. Robert, who had suddenly found himself more interested in ‘punishing,’ Aaron for his cheeky remark, had forgotten all about saving the photo to the locked private folder (which contained many photos of Aaron for times when they had nothing but each other’s texts, their own hand and their imaginations), and rather left it in the undeleted text conversation.

He hadn’t noticed until the next day, when he opened up his phone and sent a quick text to Aaron.

_Hope u got home ok. Need to see u later, half 11?_

Then, feeling a bit dirtier due to imaginings of what later that night would hold for him, he sent another.

_Hope u can still feel me this morning ;) just better not be too sore to go again._

Leaving his phone on the side, he then went to have a quick shower, not realising Chrissie had just come home. She made her way upstairs and when she heard the shower running, realised this would be a perfect time to have some well needed alone time with her husband. She stripped down to her underwear, matching of course, and just as she was about to lie across the bed heard Roberts phone go off. She stood up in a hurry to rush and silence it, not wanting any business calls to ruin her plans, but instead found her stomach sink to her shoes upon reading the text.

 _If anyone is going to be sore, it’ll be you. ;) meet you outside mine at half 11_.

She was almost too scared to unlock the phone and read the rest of the conversation, beginning to think of a million excused for such an obviously dirty text. In the end she unlocked the phone and saw everything.

The picture, the texts and all the hidden meanings behind them.

When Robert, covered in only a towel, re-entered the room to find his wife shaking with anger, his phone in her hand, he could only think of one thing to say.

“I can explain!”


	2. Chapter 2

The pub was busy when Chrissie made her announcement. She would regret it later, when the hurt had worn off and the embarrassment, that her husband had found something she couldn’t give him in the arms of another man, began to sink in.

“Can I have everyone’s attention please!” She shouted above the usual roar of noise, standing on top of a table. People looked round at her, many giving her funny looks. She didn’t care. “I would like everyone to know-‘’ She continued, before breaking off as Robert ran through the door.

“Chrissie, don’t, I’m begging you. Please don’t.” He said all in a rush, his demands becoming more like pleas with every word.

The situation unfolding had successfully gained the attention of everyone in the pub by now. People looked on in curiosity and it seemed for a moment that Chrissie had thought better of what she was about to do. She looked ready to come down from the table and walk away.

Of course, that was the moment Aaron had to walk into the pub.

He took in the scene in front of him with a startled look on his face. Chrissie looked at him with pure disgust while Robert looked at him with a look of, ‘get yourself the fuck out of here, now!’

“I would like everyone to know,” Chrissie started in a low, dangerous tone, “that my dear husband has been, she paused. Robert took this last chance to beg and plead some more, to try and change her mind.

“My husband has been having an affair. With him!” She spat, more venom in her voice than anything else now, pointing at Aaron.

A pin dropping could have been heard inside the pub that afternoon. That was until the shock wore off and the aftermath began.

Chrissie began to scream about everything personal both within her marriage and what she knew of her husband’s activities outside it. Robert begged her to stop, professed his undying love for her more times than anyone could count. Some people began to exclaim, “I knew it! I knew he was having an affair,” while others just looked on in amusement, like it was a good bit of TV.

Aaron just looked at his feet, wishing the floor would swallow him up.

“How long?!” Chrissie demanded, looking between the two men.

“Chrissie, babe, please-‘’ Robert tried, before he was cut off by her shout.

“HOW FUCKING LONG, ROBERT.” With that, Robert fell silent.

“December.” Chrissie turned to look at Aaron. By this point, she was down from the table, and she stalked over until she was standing in front of him.

“December?” She asked him. He nodded his head. Robert looked at the two of them fearfully. If it came to a fight, who was he supposed to defend? “You’ve been fucking my husband since December.” Another nod. “Since before we were married?” This time, Aaron did nothing.

Chrissie turned to Robert once more, pure hatred in her eyes. “I want you out of the house. You’ve just lost everything, Robert, your home, your job and you’re fucking wife. I hope you’re happy.” She then strode out of the pub. Robert began to chase after her once more, but before he could leave the pub, a hand on his arm pulling him backwards stopped him.

“Robert, wait,” Aaron pleaded, stopping him from leaving.

“Get off me!” Robert spat, shoving Aaron away. The two stood there then, staring each other in the eye, regarding each other with caution.

“Don’t,” Aaron finally whispered, “Don’t go after her. It can be me and you now, don’t you see? I love you.” Desperation had made him brave.

Robert said nothing. He stared at Aaron a few seconds more before leaving, running after his wife.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapters a bit longer than the others, but I hope you all enjoy it! Tonight's episodes had me wanting to laugh, cry and scream all at the same time, so I'm hoping this cheers some of you up a bit! Keep faith, it'll all be better soon.

It took four weeks of complete silence before Aaron saw Robert again. The reveal of the affair soon became yesterday’s news to those who weren’t directly involved, people soon moving on to the next bit of juicy village gossip. For Aaron, however, the aftermath was torture. He hadn’t seen or heard from Robert since the dramatic events at the pub the day Chrissie had found out, despite the hundreds of phone calls he made and texts he sent to the other man. Aaron was beginning to understand the phrase ‘silence is deafening.’ He soon started to worry about what might have happened to Robert, being fully aware of the lengths Chrissie and Lawrence may go to in order to punish them both. It wasn’t until he shared his concerns with Adam that he realised the reason for the lack of contact.

“Sorry mate, I thought you knew.”

“Knew what?” Aaron questioned, taking in Adams shifty gaze. It suddenly dawned on him exactly what had happened before Adam even had to say it, and it wasn’t anything bad, at least not for Robert. Adam said it anyway.

“Robert and Chrissie are giving it another go. Went on holiday just a few days ago, try and sort things out, I guess.”

Aaron’s first instinct was to deny it, assume Adam had his facts wrong, but realising he would have heard first hand from Victoria he knew he couldn’t. His second instinct, to defend Robert, to make up an excuse for him as to why he would have gone without a single word to Aaron now just seemed too tiring.

It finally sunk in for Aaron how little Robert cared for him. The memories of everything meaningful between them suddenly felt hollow and empty as he finally accepted what he had been too frightened to even acknowledge before; Robert didn’t love him. In fact, Robert didn’t even _like_ him, at least not enough to tell him it was over, for good this time.

So Aaron spent the next three weeks trying to move on with his life. He threw himself into work, investing more of his time in it than ever before. He went out with Adam a lot, to take his mind off his empty phone inbox and non-existent missed call list. He ran until he was exhausted and could collapse into bed, falling asleep almost immediately. Yet, despite telling himself he was over Robert, every morning the first thing he did was check his phone for word from him.

Four weeks on from the affairs reveal, Aaron had just come back from another exhausting run when he heard the knock at the door. He was in the house alone and did consider ignoring it, but thinking it might have been Adam, or another welcome distraction from being left alone with his thoughts, he answered instead.

Robert was stood on the other side of the door. Aaron stared, mouth hanging open, for just long enough to see he was dressed down in a t-shirt, jeans and his infamous leather jacket, an overnight duffel bag slung over his shoulder and a ridiculous grin on his face. That was until he slammed the door in it.

“Aaron!” Robert protested, banging his fist against the barrier between them, “Aaron, open the fucking door!”

Aaron felt the anger rising in him. Did Robert really expect Aaron to want to go back to the way things had been, a stolen moment here and there, even after they had both been caught out by Roberts _wife_.

“Robert just fuck off, I don’t want anything to do with you anymore,” he forced himself to call through the door.

“Aaron I’ve- Aaron just open the door, I need to-“ Robert paused, seemed to be at a loss for words until murmuring through the wood quietly, “Aaron, I’ve left her. Please let me in.”

Aaron felt as though his heart soared and dropped to the floor all at once. Without another moment’s hesitation he opened the door and let his biggest demon back into his life.

* * *

 

They had sat round the kitchen table, staring into the cups of tea Aaron made, for a good ten minutes before either of them spoke again. Aaron was just about to start demanding answers but Roberts’s sudden soft voice stopped him.

“I’m sorry.”

Aaron looked up and found Robert staring at him intently, an expression on his face he’d never seen before.  He fleetingly thought that maybe this was what a genuine apology from Robert Sudgen looked like, but said nothing. Robert continued to stare at him until,

“Well? Aren’t you going to say anything?”

“Depends.” Aaron said, shrugging.

“On what?” demanded Robert who looked completely bewildered. No, more than that. Desperate.

“On what you’re actually sorry for.” Aaron was leant back in his chair by now, trying to remain calm and collected. If he lost it, Robert had won, as always.

“Everything,” Robert whispered, looking down into his tea again, before continuing, louder, “I’m sorry for it all. For running back to her, for not calling or texting or… for not realising sooner this is where I should be.”

There it was. What Aaron had been dying to hear for months, and now it had been said, now his irrational, ridiculous fantasy had become a possible reality he was speechless.

“Aaron?”

“How do I know you mean it?”

“I’ve left her. Isn’t that enough?”

“No, you ran back to her, you went on holiday with her! What, it didn’t work out and now you’re coming crawling back to me?”

“No! I… Being away from you made me realise what I wanted. I thought about you all the time. I went to call you or text you more times than I remember. I couldn’t even get you out of my head when I was in bed with her!” There was a pause. “I love you. I want to make a go of this. If… If you’ll have me, that is.”

For once in their relationship, Aaron held all the cards. For once, it was _his_ decision, and if he played it right, he might get the one thing he’d wanted since the start.

“It won’t be easy.” Aaron began, “It’ll probably be really fucking hard and we’ll drive each other up the wall a thousand times a day. You’re gonna’ have to prove yourself Robert, and not just to me. My mum, Paddy.”

Roberts entire expression changed, a huge grin spreading across his face. He reached across to cover Aaron’s hands with his own, exclaiming, “Of course, I’ll do anything.” Aaron looked down at their joined hands, a spark of lust shooting up his spine. It was the first time they had touched in months and he craved the feel of Robert above him, kissing him dizzy as he thrust inside him. But there would be other nights for that, so many more. Tonight wasn’t one.

“Where are you staying?” Aaron suddenly asked, eyeing duffel bag Robert had discarded on the floor. Robert suddenly became sheepish.

“Well… understandably I’ve been kicked out of Home Farm. What I have in the bag, I imagine, are the last of my belongings. Chrissie will have probably torched the rest.” He laughed, a faraway look suddenly coming over him. “Accept my car actually! I managed to escape with that, it’s parked outside.” With that the look was gone and replaced with another giddy smile.

“You could crash here. If you wanted that is,” Aaron offered.

“I’d like that.” Robert said, getting up from the table and walking round to kneel in front of Aaron. “Things are going to be so good. I promise.” He pledged, before raising a hand to stroke down Aarons face. Aaron leaned down then and kissed him. It quickly turned passionate, Roberts tongue stroking along his bottom lip before slipping inside his mouth. His hands gripped the front of Aarons t-shirt as his kisses began to travel down the side of his face to his neck.

“Fuck, I missed you,” he muttered, before pulling away. He took some time to apparently gain his composure before he continued, “But not tonight. Let’s just… sleep. For once.”

Aaron was shocked to say the least, but didn’t argue. They then made the way to Aaron’s bedroom, Roberts hand on the small of Aarons back as they walked.

 

Later, in the darkness, Aaron was watching Robert sleep. He suddenly felt he could now, as though being upgraded from secret lover to boyfriend had given him the right. They had stripped each other down to the underwear, Aaron even removing his shirt due to Roberts protests of wanting to, ‘feel all of him.’

They were now lying with Roberts sleeping face pressed against the crook of Aarons neck, his arm flung across Aarons torso and both their legs tangled together under the duvet. Aaron pressed a kiss against Roberts forehead, whispering, “I love you,” into his hair, regretting he had not said it earlier when they were both awake. The next few weeks, months even, were going to be tough. He needed Robert to know what they would both be fighting for.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, comments and kudos are always greatly appreciated!


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